Ground|Water: The Art, Design and Science of a Dry River

Ellen McMahon (Art) collaborated with Beth Weinstein (Architecture) and Ander Monson (English) on a project exploring ways in which art, design and science can collaborate to raise public awareness of environmental issues. With help from UA science consultants and the Rillito River Project, the team and students created Ground|Water The Art, Design and Science of a Dry River, a book of art and creative writing published by UA Press.

Ground|Wateris a work of art in itself, beautifully designed and produced with lush color reproductions, letterpress printed covers and open-sewn binding. For its efforts, the book earned three UCDA awards: the Gold Award in the Book category, the Judge’s Choice Award and Best of Show in 2013. Its use of raw materials and marriage of disparate elements like graphs, poetry, photography and architecture, make Ground|Water an innovative, Tucson-based contribution to global dialogues on climate change and environmental preservation. Learn more about the book’s distinguishing elements here. Itcan be purchased online.